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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 




sJ^^-ru 



BULLETIN No. 412 

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

Contribution from the Office of Farm Management 

W. J. SPILLMAN, Chief 




Jtt*&SU 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



September 22, 1916 



THE NORMAL DAY'S WORK OF FARM IMPLEMENTS, WORK- 
MEN, AND CREWS IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 

By H. II. Mowry, Agriculturist. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

A normal day's work 2 

Source of data 2 

Local conditions 3 

Plowing 3 

Harrowing 4 

The land roller 6 

Grain crop operations 6 



Threshing wheat 7 

Handling manure 8 

Operations on the corn crop 8 

Operations on the bean crop 10 

Haying operations 11 

Operations on the cabbage crop 12 

Operations on fruit crops 14 



Every farmer needs to have a definite idea as to what constitutes a 
fair day's work in each of his operations, so that the annual work may 
be planned intelligently and carried out on time. In order to obtain 
results from hired help it is necessary to know what each man and 
team should accomplish daily. The same knowledge will serve to 
prevent the overtaxing of horses and the crowding of men beyond a 
fair amount of service. Where hired help understand that a fair and 
definite amount of work, not in excess of what can be performed day 
after day without impairing health or efficiency, is normally expected, 
the necessity of personal supervision by the employer is reduced. 
Compensation can also be asked and paid on the basis of this reason- 
I able service and the relations of all concerned be made more satis- 
| factory. 

Knowledge of what constitutes a fair day's work in a given locality, 
j based upon the experience of many neighbors, is a valuable guide to the 
individual farmer. The data of this bulletin, a summary of which is 
given hi Table I, represent the experience of several hundred practical 
farmers in western New York, and has application to the conditions 
which existed there. Knowledge of what is accomplished by farmers 
in other localities is also of value to those in western New York, 
because for more operations other sections of the United States have 
worked out more efficient methods of doing work and handling men, 



54101°— Bull. 412—16 






^ 



2 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ^' 

horses, and implements than those in vogue in this section. Hence, 
in discussing the various operations in the following pages, compari- 
sons are made between what farmers in New York accomplish and 
the average for the entire United States. 

A NORMAL DAY'S WORK. 

In the following summary table is shown the mean daily duty of 
implements, workmen, and crews for various farm operations, aver- 
ages for western New York, as determined by this investigation, 
being compared with averages for the entire United States, as deter- 
mined by a previous survey. 1 In making these comparisons those 
sizes of implements and crews were taken which are most generally 
used and for which the largest numbers were reported. 

Table I. — Summary and comparisons. 





Daily duty. 


Operation. 


Daily duty. 


Operation. 


Western 
New 
York 

average. 


United 

States 

average. 1 


Western 
New 
York 

average. 


United 

States 

average. 1 


Walking plow: 


Acres. 
1.65 
1.78 
2.20 

13.0 
17.3 

9.0 
10.2 
14.7 

7.5 
8.2 
11.1 
13.8 
10.0 
10.4 
7.5 

3.4 
5.2 
10.7 

4.1 

»6.8 

1.1 


Acres. 
1.76 
2.32 
2.40 

10.8 
15.3 

7.4 
8.2 
13.1 

7.2 

7.5 
12.8 
13.2 

8.8 
11.1 

9.3 

4.4 
6.9 
13.6 

4.4 

6.6 

1.5 


Setting up corn after corn 


Acres. 
3.4 

5.3 
5.7 
9.0 

15.0 

17.6 
14.3 
6.3 

4.9 
6.6 

Bushels. 
52.3 
70.0 

32.2 
( 715. 3 

| A cres. 
1 25.1 

Loads. 
14.7 


Acres. 
4.0 


3 horses, 14-inch 


Corn binder: 






6.6 


Spike-tooth harrow: 

2 horses, 8-foot 




7.3 


Mowing hay (5-foot cut ) 

Raking hay (10 feet wide): 


8.9 


3 horses, 10-foot 




Spring-tooth harrow: 


16.3 




17.9 




Tedding hay, 2 horses 


14.5 


4 horses, 8-ioot 


6.3 


Disk harrow, fresh plowed 
land: 
2 horses, 6-foot 


Hauling hay from field to 
barn, 2 men and 2horses: 

Unloading by hand 

Unloading with sling 

Ticking apples: 

Yield 1 to 10 bushels 

Husking corn from shock, 1 


4.4 




6.1 






Land roller, 2 horses, 8-foot 

Grain drill, 2 horses, 6-foot 
Grain binder, 3 horses, 6-foot . . 
Setting up bound grain, 1 man 
Planting corn: 


Bushels. 
34.0 
44.8 

45.9 


Hand planter, 1 man 


Threshing wheat from shock, 
10 men and 6 horses 

Hauling manure with spreader 


679.0 


2-horse, 2-row 




Cultivating: 

1-horse 


29.5 






Cutting corn by hand, 1 man, 
yield 41-60 bushels 


13.1 







1 U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 3. 

SOURCE OF DATA. 

The information made available in this bulletin was obtained from 
farmers in Wayne, Ontario, Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, 
and Niagara Counties. A circular of inquiry afforded an oppor- 
tunity for experienced farmers to record their knowledge as to what 
constitutes a fair day's work under their conditions, and these records 
were averaged and assembled in the tables which follow. 

» U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 3. 

D. of. J 
SEP 27-1916 



NORMAL DAYS WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 3 

LOCAL CONDITIONS. 

Farm land in the section where these data were obtained is some- 
what rolling, but not to an extent to reduce appreciably the average 
amount of work that can be done daily. Some of the heavier soils of 
the Dunkirk series can not be plowed as rapidly as can the more loamy 
soils of the Middle West. The presence of more or less stone through- 
out the section also operates to reduce the amount of work that can be 
done daily with plows. There are no local reasons why farm im- 
plements that are drawn over the land, like mowers, binders, rakes, 
etc., should not perform as much work daily here as anywhere. The 
horses used in western New York average 1,211 pounds in weight. 
The average net day in the field in spring and summer work was found 
to be 9 hours and 38 minutes, and in haying and harvest it is 9 hours 
and 49 minutes. This net day excludes the time going and coming 
and the noon period, and represents only the time in action on the 

various operations. 

PLOWING. 

Table II gives the average performance of the walking plow with 
2-horse and 3-horse teams working on sod and on stubble. From 
10 to 15 per cent more land can be plowed in stubble than on sod where 
only two horses are used. With 3-horse teams, there is little differ- 
ence between the work on sod and on stubble. Breaking sod is work 
that is too heavy for two horses. With two horses, the depth plowed 
ranges from 6 to 6| inches on stubble and is 6 inches on sod. With 
three horses, the plowing on sod ranges from 6| to 7| inches deep and 
on stubble from 7 to 1\ inches deep. The majority of farmers use 
three horses when breaking sod and two horses when plowing stubble. 
The 3-horse teams permit the use of wider plows and deeper plowing. 
The farmers in western New York accomplish only about 80 to 85 
per cent as much daily in their plowing work as does the average 
farmer in the United States. This is doubtless due to the heavy 
character of the local soils. 



Table II.- 



-Afair day's work for ivalking plows with 2-horse and 3-horse teams on sod and 
o.n stubble. 



Horses. 


Width. 


On sod. 


On stubble. 




Number 




Number 






Acres. 


of farms 


Acres. 


of farms 








averaged. 




averaged. 




Inches. 










2 


10 


1.46 


124 


1.66 


220 


2 


12 


1.47 


217 


1.65 


315 


2 


14 


1.48 


111 


1.72 


135 


3 


10 


1.70 


86 


1.82 


52 


3 


12 


1.74 


225 


1.85 


146 


3 


14 


1.78 


198 


1.93 


140 


3 


16 


1.90 


45 


1.95 


15 



4 BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

In Table III is shown the duty of sulky plows in western New York 
working on sod and on stubble. Few New York farmers attempt to 
operate sulky plows with two horses. The load is entirely too great 
for two horses, and only poor plowing can be done with less than 
three horses. The 14-inch plow is most commonly used on the 
sulky in this section, while the 16-inch is the most common for the 
average of all farmers in the country. In the soils of New York the 
14-inch sulky is an ample load for three horses. From 5 to 10 per 
cent more work can be done on stubble than on sod with the sulky 
plow. 

Table III. — A fair day's work for sulky plows drawn by three horses on sod and on stubble. 



Horses. 


Width. 


On sod. 


On stubble. 


Acres Number 
Acres> averaged. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


3 
3 
3 


Inches. 
12 
14 
16 


1.95 
2.08 
2.26 


86 
105 
51 


2.11 
2.20 
2.37 


86 
115 
42 



HARROWING. 

The spike- tooth or smoothing harrow can be operated with 
2-horse or 3-horse teams in a wide range of widths, as it is an imple- 
ment of comparatively light draft. Three horses accomplish from 
10 to 15 per cent more work on the same width of harrow than two 
horses do. Table IV gives the average duty for the spike-tooth 
harrow for widths ranging from 5 to 12 feet for 2-horse and 3-horse 
teams. 

Table IV. — A fair day's icorkfor the spike-tooth harrow with 2-horse and 3-horse teams. 



Width. 


2-horse teams. 


3-horse teams. 


Acres. 


Number, 
averaged. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


Feet. 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
12 


11.2 
11.1 
12.0 
13.0 
13.8 
16.1 
14.8 


15 

87 
102 
199 

43 
102 

20 


11.0 
11.9 
13.2 
14.1 
16.4 
17.3 
19.1 


2 
27 
33 

75 
48 
SO 
38 



Where two horses are required to draw widths greater than 10 
feet they appear to be overloaded so that their daily efficiency is 
reduced. 

The spring-tooth harrow is used to do the hard, preliminary work 
of fitting the land after plowing. It is adapted to soils which are too 



NORMAL DAY S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 5 

hard, stony, lumpy, or so occupied with stumps as to render the spike- 
tooth or disk harrow ineffective. On account of its heavy draft it 
can not be used in such extreme widths as can the spike-tooth harrow. 
Three horses are more suitable than two on even the narrowest 
widths, while a 4-horse team finds an 8-foot or 9-foot spring-tooth 
harrow a heavy load. 

Table V. — A fair day's work for spring-tooth harroivs with teams of tiro, three, and four 

horses. 



Width. 


2-horse teams. 


3-horse teams. 


4-horse teams. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


Feet. 
6 

7 
8 
9 


9.0 
9.3 
9.7 


36 

6 

7 


10.2 
10.9 
13.3 


33 
21 
10 










14.7 
18.0 


3 

8 











In Table VI is shown the daily averages for the disk harrow with 
2-horse, 3-horse, and 4-horse teams working on fresh-plowed and on 
well-packed land, respectively. It appears that with two and three 
horses, increasing the width of the disk harrow does not result in any 
great increase in acreage disked. This is more true on fresh-plowed 
than on well-packed land. Where four horses are used, increasing 
the width results in more marked increases in daily accomplishment. 
The heavy draft of the disk harrow accounts for the lack of increase 
in results with increasing width where 2-horse and 3-horse teams are 
used. The implement is an overload, as a rule, for anything less 
than four horses ; so that any increase in width with the smaller units 
of power results in less speed and mileage per day. 

Table VI. — A fair day's work for disk harroics using teams of two, three, and four horses, 

respectively. 



Horses. 


Width. 


On fresh-plowed 
land. 


On-well-packed 
land. 


Acras. 


Number 
averaged. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


2 
2 
2 
2 
3 
3 
3 
3 
4 
4 
4 


Feet. 
5 
6 

7 
8 
5 
6 
7 
8 
6 
7 
8 


7.1 
7.5 
7.8 
7.8 
8.1 
8.2 
8.1 
8.8 
7.6 
9.8 
11.1 


60 
152 
44 
38 
44 
205 
90 
48 
16 
15 
25 


8.4 
9.1 
9.6 

10.0 
9.4 
9.8 
9.9 

10.3 
9.1 

12.2 

13.3 


61 
149 
44 
38 
44 
201 
89 
49 
155 
15 
25 



6 



BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE LAND ROLLER. 

The land roller (Table VII) is an implement of relatively light 
draft, and two horses operate a wide range of width. Its limit in 
width is determined by the awkwardness of the larger sizes rather 
than by their draft. The table shows an increasing acreage with 
increasing width, although the increase in results is not in propor- 
tion to the increase in width. 

Table VII. — A fair day's ivorkfor the land roller drawn by two horses. 



Width. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


Feet. 
6 

7 
8 
9 
10 
12 


11.4 
12.5 
13.8 
14.0 
14.6 
15.3 


76 
255 
588 
117 
136 

23 



GRAIN CROP OPERATIONS. 

From Table VIII it is seen that nearly all farmers in western New 
York use a grain drill sowing 11 rows, or a strip from 6 to 6£ feet 
wide. With this size drill the grain and grass can be sown regu- 
larly, and in addition corn can be drilled two rows at a time, 42 
inches apart,. or three rows at a trip, 35 inches apart. Beans can 
also be drilled 28 inches apart, sowing three rows at each trip. The 
daily acreage planted for drills having 9, 10, and 11 tubes is shown 
in the table. 

Table VIII. — A fair day's ivorkfor grain drills drawn by two horses. 



Number 
of drill 
rows. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


9 
10 
11 


9.2 
9.6 
10.0 


95 

67 

951 



Table IX gives the duty of the grain binder in western New York. 
Four-horse teams are seldom used in this section, and the smaller 
widths are often drawn by two horses. The 6-foot binder and three 
horses are most commonly used. The 7-foot binder is too heavy for 
three horses. 

Table IX. — A fair day's work with the grain binder in western New York, using 2-horse 

and 3-horse teams. 



Horses. 


Width. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 




Feet. 






2 


5 


7.6 


16 


2 


6 


9.3 


71 


3 


5 


9.6 


73 


3 


6 


10.4 


901 


3 


7 


11.3 


83 



NORMAL DAYS WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 7 

In Table X is shown the average acres of grain that can be set up 
in shocks by one man after a grain binder. The bulk of the straw 
influences the daily acreage to some extent. 

Table X. — A fair day's work for a man setting up grain in shocks after the grain binder. 



Yield. 


Acres. 


Number 
averaged. 


Straw. 


Grain. 


Tons. 
1.3 
1.4 
1.6 
1.7 


Bushels. 
20 
25 
30 
35 


7.7 
7.6 
7.4 
7.3 


278 

380 

313 

25 



THRESHING WHEAT. 

The amount of grain threshed daily is determined by the yield of 
the crop more than by any other condition. Table XI gives the daily 
duty of average crews in threshing wheat 'from shock in western New 
York. About 25 acres is a fan* day's work, irrespective of yield, in 
threshing from shock. 

Table XI. — Threshing wheat from shock— A fair day's work with average crews. 



Yield. 


Crew. 


Bushels 
daily. 


Acres 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


Men. 


Horses. 


Bushels. 
0-20 


8 or 9 

9 or 10 
10 or 11 


4 or 6 

6 

4 or 6 


561.7 
715.3 

909.8 


24.3 
25.1 
25.3 


124 

244 

22 


21-30 


31 and over... 



Table XII gives the duty of average crews in threshing from 
stack or in barn, both for wheat and for oats. The yield here is the 
controlling element in the daily output. The crews reported ranged 
from 5 to 18 men. In this operation, scarcity of help makes it 
necessary at times to operate with too small a crew, while at other 
times, where the neighbors help each other, more men are available 
than are needed. A crew of 8 or 10 men should be ample if the grain 
is stacked or stored so as to be convenient to the machine. 



Table XII. — Threshing wheat and oats from stack or barn- 
crews. 



-Normal output of average 



Crew. 


Wheat. 


Oats. 


Number 
averaged. 


Men. 


Horses. 


Yield. 


Bushels. 


Yield. 


Bushels. 


8 or 9 

9 or 10 
9 or 10 


2 or 4 
2 or 4 
2 or 4 


20 
25 
30 


733 
855 
914 


35 
45 
55 


1,096 
1,269 
1,340 


97 
107 
124 



8 BULLETIN 412, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 

HANDLING MANURE. 

Table XIII shows the normal accomplishment to be expected from 
a manure spreader operated by one man and using 2-horse and 3-horse 
teams, respectively. The great majority of farmers find three horses 
necessary for the operation of a spreader. The advantage of the 
spreader is realized in more even distribution of manure over the 
field, in the shorter time required to unload, and in the greater ease 
of doing the unloading by horsepower than by man power. It takes 
about two and one-half times as long to unload by hand as with 
the spreader. There is no advantage in favor of the spreader in the 
matter of loading. 

Manure carriers running on overhead tracks in the barn have largely 
reduced the laborious work of removing manure from farm buildings, 
while the spreader has transferred the work of spreading from man 
to horse. No mechanical device, designed to load manure from the 
yard to the wagon or spreader, has yet found general adoption on 
farms. Farmers can eliminate the work of handling manure from 
barnyards by providing a low-wheeled, low-priced wagon into which 
the manure from the barn carrier can be emptied as it comes from the 
stable. The manure spreader can also be set outside, so as to receive 
the contents of the carrier. By hauling the loaded wagon or spreader 
to the field as soon as filled, there need be no accumulation of manure 
in the barnyard, the most laborious operation of loading from the 
ground by hand is eliminated, the manure is handled and lifted but 
once into the carrier, and goes directly to the field with a minimum 
of loss by leaching. 

Table XIII. — A fair day's work in handling manure with a manure spreader draion 
by two and three horses respectively. 



Horses. 


Rods 
hauled. 


Pounds 
in load. 


Loads 

hauled. 


Acres 
covered. 


Number 
averaged. 


2 
3 


61.2 

70.4 


2,317 
2,689 


14.5 
14.7 


1.7 
1.8 


123 
355 



OPERATIONS ON THE CORN CROP. 

Table XIV gives the normal efficiency of hand planters, 1-row 
and 2-row planters, and the grain drill in planting corn. The hand 
planter is about 60 per cent as efficient as the 1 -horse planter, 
one-third as efficient as the 2-row planter, and one-fourth as rapid 
as the grain drill. Corn is planted with the grain drill in this section 
more generally than with the special planters. 



NORMAL DAY 7 S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 
Table XIV. — A fair day's work with the implements used in planting corn. 



Implement. 



Width of 
rows. 



Hand planter < 

One row, 1-horse planter < 

Two rows, 2-horse planter < 

Grain drill, 2 horses < 



Inches. 
36 
42 
36 
42 
36 
42 
36 
42 



Acres 
daily. 



2.9 
3.4 
4.6 
S.2 
9.1 
10.7 
11.3 
11.6 



Number 
averaged, 



74 
113 
62 
93 
84 
124 
192 
533 



Table XV indicates that the 2-horse walking cultivator is about 
50 per cent more efficient than the 1-horse cultivator, and the 2-horse 
riding cultivator is about 75 per cent more efficient than the 1-horse 
type. The 1-horse walking cultivator is being displaced by the 
2-horse riding type, since the extra horse on the latter is more eco- 
nomical of man time. 

Table XV. — A fair day's work in cultivating corn. 



Horses 
used. 


Type of cultivator. 


Acres culti- 
vated daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


1 

. 2 

2 




4.1 
6.2 
7.1 


1,077 

560 

1,133 


do 







In Table XVI the average acreage of corn cut by one man working 
with a corn knife is shown for increasing yields in terms of ears per 
About one acre is a good day's work where the yield is over 80 



acre. 



bushels, and one and one-third acres can be cut where the yield is 
less than 40 bushels. The averages for western New York for this 
operation are about 25 per cent less than the normal for the United 
States, the jneld being the same. This may be accounted for in 
part by the fact that corn in New York is planted in drills instead 
of in hills, requiring more blows of the knife to cut a given number 
of stalks; also because a short-handled sickle is used in the East 
which requires much stooping, while a long straight-bladed knife 
is used in the West, which permits the work to be done while standing 
practically erect. 

Table XVI. — A fair day's work for one man in cutting corn by hand. 



Range of yield 
(bushels of ears). i 


Acres 
cut daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


Under 40 


1.3 
1.2 
1.1 
1.1 


47 
187 
402 
580 


41-00 


61-80 


81 and over 



1 1 n Tables XVI, XVII, and XIX the yield of corn is expressed in bushels of ears, this being the customary 
method of reckoning corn yields in western New York. To convert to bushels of shelled corn divide by 2. 



10 



BULLETIN 412_, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



Where corn has been cut by a corn binder, a man's efficiency in 
setting it up into shocks is multiplied by 3 over what he can accom- 
plish in cutting and setting up by hand. Table XVII gives the daily 
duty with increasing yields, there being a slight . falling off as the 
yield per acre becomes heavier. 

Table XVII. — A fair day's work for a man setting up corn after the corn binder. 



Yield per 

acre (bushels 

of ears). 


Acres 
per day. 


Number 
averaged. 


50 

75 

100 


3.5 
3.4 
3.3 


102 
165 
474 



From Table XVIII it appears that a very large proportion of 
farmers use three horses on the corn binder. The amount accom- 
plished daily is about 20 per cent less than the average for the United 
States. The heavier average yields of corn in New York, as com- 
pared with the general average, in part account for this, corn not 
being grown so extensively here as elsewhere, but more intensively. 

Table XVIII. — A fair day's tvork with the corn binder drawn by two and three horses 

respectively. 



Horses. 


Acres 
cut daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


2 
3 


5.3 . 
5.7 


190 
1,001 



In husking corn from the shock in western New York, one man 
averages only from 65 to 75 per cent of the average for the United 
States, about 35 bushels per day being the normal amount husked 
in this section. Table XIX gives the average bushels per day and 
acreage per day for the yields indicated. 

Table XIX.— A fair day's work for a man in husking corn from shock. 



Range of yield 
(bushels of ears). 


Acres 
per day. 


Bushels 
per day. 


Number 
averaged. 


41-60 


0.66 
.62 

.47 
.40 


36.3 
32.2 
32.6 
36.0 


26 
122 
293 
431 


61-80 


81 and over 



OPERATIONS ON THE BEAN CROP. 



In Table XX the average daily work that should be accomplished 
in some of the field operations with the bean crop are shown. The 
beans are planted with a grain drill, cultivated with the ordinary 
cultivators, and harvested with a bean harvester, an implement 



NORMAL DAY S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 



11 



drawn by two horses and having two long knives, each of which cuts 
a row, the two rows being thrown in the center between the rows. 
The beans are then thrown into small piles with a pitchfork, and 
from time to time the piles are forked and turned over, so that the 
pods will dry out and cure suitably for threshing. 

Table XX. — A fair day's work for the operations in bean growing. 



Operation. 


Horses. 


Men. 


Acres 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 




2 
2 


1 
1 
1 
1 


10.9 
7.6 

2.8 
2.7 


1,040 
982 
793 
819 


Harvesting with bean harvester 











In Table XXI the acreage that can be cleared in a day in hauling 
in the bean crop is shown for the crews commonly used in this section. 
Doubling the crew does not quite double the acreage cleared daily. 
Crews larger than two or three men are not very common, since the 
system of farming is such that the field work can be chiefly done with 
one regular hired man and members of the family. 

Table XXI. — A fair day's work for creivs in hauling beans from field to barn. 



Crews. 


Acres 
cleared 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


Men. 


Horses. 


Wagons. 


2 
3 
4 
5 
6 


2 
2 

4 
4 
4 


1 
1 
2 
2 
2 


5.5 
6.5 
10.3 
10.9 
12.2 


459 

355 

64 

35 

17 



HAYING OPERATIONS. 

In Table XXII is shown the daily duty of men and implements in 
the haying operations preparatory to hauling into the barn or stack- 
ing. The averages for mowing, raking, tedding, and cocking are 
substantially the same as the averages for the United States as a 
whole. 

Table XXII. — A fair day's work for implements, men, and teams used in making hay. 



Operation. 


Men. 


Horses. 


Width. 


Acres 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 




1 

1 

1 

1 

1 


2 

i! 

2 


Feet. 

{ r 

10 
10 
10 
10 


8.3 
9.0 
10.2 
15.0 
17.6 
13.1 
16.3 
14.3 
6.3 


32 
974 
195 
175 
424 

89 

164 

658 

1,044 


Raking 


Bunching 

Tedding....: 


Cocking 











12 



BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table XXIII gives the daily duty of the crews ordinarily used in 
western New York in hauling in hay from the field and unloading by 
hand. In this section, which is not an extensive haying region, 
one team only is used in a large majority of cases. Increasing the 
crew does not result in increasing the amount done in the same pro- 
portion, and odd men are the least valuable additions to the crew. 



Table XXIII. 



-A fair day 's work with crews used in hauling hay from field to barn and 
unloading by hand. 





Crews. 
















Tons 
daily. 


Acres 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 








Men. 


Horses. 


Wagons. 








2 


2 


1 


7.7 


4.9 


342 


3 


2 


1 


8.8 


5.3 


509 


3 


4 


2 


10.0 


5.6 


11 


4 


4 


2 


13.3 


7.7 


50 


5 


4 


2 


14.8 


8.7 


65 



In Table XXIV is shown the normal duty of crews in hauling in 
hay where the unloading is done with the hay sling, or hay fork. 
Unloading with tins inexpensive device increases the efficiency per 
day about 45 per cent. The farmers in this section are, on the aver- 
age, from 5 to 10 per cent more efficient in hauling in their hay than 
the average farmer of the country. The efficiency of the crews shown 
in Tables XXIII and XXIV can be increased about 10 per cent by 
the use of the hay loader in the field. Where stacking is done in the 
Held, or where the hay field is within 60 rods of the barn, hay can be 
put away about 75 per cent more rapidly with the western sweep 
rakes than with wagons and racks. 

Table XXIV. — A fair day's work for crews hauling hay from, field to barn and unloading 

with hay sling or fork. 





Crews. 
















Tons 
daily. 


Acres 
daily. 


Number 

averaged. 








Men. 


Horses. 


Wagons. 








2 


2 


1 


10.7 


6.6 


290 


3 


2 


1 


12.6 


7.5 


496 


3 


4 


2 


14.9 


9.3 


9 


4 


4 


2 


17.5 


9.8 


58 


5 


4 


2 


20.1 


11.7 


82 



OPERATIONS ON THE CABBAGE CROP. 

In Table XXV the averages for planting cabbage with a trans- 
planter have been brought together for increasing sizes of crews. In 
all cases there are three men on the transplanter, the additional men 
and horses being used to bring the plants and water to convenient 
points for the transplanter. The efficiency per day is not greatly 



NORMAL DAYS WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 



13 



increased by additional men, two men and two horses adding only 
half an acre, or about 15 per cent to the amount done daily. Two 
additional men and an extra team are used more frequently, however, 
than are smaller numbers, these being sufficient when properly 
directed to keep the transplanter constantly at work. 



Table XXV. 



-A fair day's ivorh in setting cabbage, using three men on the transplanter 
and additional men and horses as indicated. 



Extra 
men. 


Extra 
horses. 


Acres 
planted 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 






3.4 
3.4 
3.5 
3.5 
3.7 
3.S 
4.0 


53 
42 
65 
47 
83 
30 
155 


1 
2 
1 
2 
1 
2 






1 
1 
2 
2 



Table XXVI shows the average number of loads and tons of cab- 
bage that can be harvested daily and unloaded on the farm. The 
smaller crews are most frequently used. The larger crews do not 
accomplish results in proportion to their size. Two men and two 
horses and four men and four horses are the most efficient per man 
and per horse. 

Table XXVI. — A fair day's work for crews harvesting cabbage and sorting in the barn. 





Crews. 
















Loads 
daily. 


Tons 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 








Men. 


Horses. 


Wagons. 








2 


2 


1 


7.4 


9.8 


142 


3 


2 


1 


8.0 


11.4 


107 


4 


2 


1 


9.4 


13. 5 


50 


4 


4 


2 


12.3 


16.4 


48 


6 


4 


2 


14.9 


20.7 


16 



Where the cabbage is hauled directly from the field to market, the 
number of loads that can be handled daily with the respective crews 
is as shown in Table XXVII. On account of its great weight and 
bulk, cabbage is not grown to any considerable extent on farms over 
5 or 6 miles from market, the greater part of this crop being produced 
on farms that are from 2 to 4 miles from shipping point. 



14 



BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table XXVII. — A fair day's work for crews harvesting cabbage and hauling directly to 

market — loads per day. 



Crews. 


Miles to Market. 


a 

2 
3 
4 
4 
6 


« 

§ 

w 

2 
2 
2 
4 
4 


CO 

a 
o 

u, 
a 

1 

1 
1 
2 
2 


1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


CO 

3 
o 
h9 


si 


O 
►J 


a£ 


CO 

-a 

S3 

o 


fed 

IS 


T3 

(33 

o 


Iff 

»5 


CO 

-a 

C3 
O 


Iff 


5.1 
5.8 
4.7 
10.4 
11.3 


*3 

3 
5 
3 


3.9 
4.6 
4.7 
6.9 

7.0 


5f 
80 
16 
15 

2 


3.1 
3.5 
3.6 
6.0 
6.5 


29 
10 

4 


2.5 
3.5 
3.5 
4.7 
7.0 


23 

3 
5 
2 


2.5 
2.4 
3.6 
4.0 
4.1 


is 

5 
5 
1 
1 



OPERATIONS ON FRUIT CROPS. 

The data for Tables XXVIII to XXXIII were obtained in western 
New York under conditions where orcharding is on a commercial 
basis and the work is well standardized. They refer to well-estab- 
lished orchards and the customary methods and practice which obtain 
among the vast majority of growers. Baldwins and Greenings pre- 
dominate among the orchards and the data presented refer to trees 
having their general habits of growth. Trees are pruned quite regu- 
larly, few, if any, neglected orchard conditions and abnormal factors 
being incorporated in the averages. Fruit growers in this region 
necessarily know quite definitely what an average day's work should 
be for the various orchard operations. 

In Table XXVIII are given the averages for pruning fruit trees 
and for thinning the fruit from apple trees where the crop is too 
heavy to permit the maturing of good fruit. In general, the thinning 
operation does not present a serious labor problem except on occa- 
sional years when a very heavy crop is set. At other times wind and 
storm are likely to remove even more than the excess and fruit is not 
thinned on that account. The data for thinning refers to the average 
tree in the orchard in years when thinning is necessary. 

Table XXVIII. — A fair day's work in pruning fruit trees and in thinning the fruit from 

apple trees. 



Operation. 



Pruning apple trees (10 years old) 

Pruning apple trees (30 years old) 

Thinning out surplus apples (30-year trees) 
Pruning peach trees (8 years old) 



Trees 


Number 


daily. 


averaged. 


28.6 


803 


12.6 


769 


12.4 


528 


37.7 


449 



NORMAL DAY S WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 



15 



In Table XXIX is shown the number of bushels of peaches that 
one man can pick daily where the yield per tree varies. The better 
the crop per tree the more it is possible to pick daily. In making 
these reports farmers reported those yields per tree regarding which 
they had the best record as to the efficiency of the picking. The 
larger yields are most readily reported because the most unusual. 
The yields per tree, therefore, should not be taken as representing 
the average yield of peaches. Two or 3 bushels per tree is the most 
common yield. 

Table XXIX. — A fair day's work for one man in picking peaches from trees of average 
size, according to yield per tree. 



Yield 


Bushels 


Number 


per tree 
(bushels). 


picked 


aver- 


per day. 


aged. 


1 


22.2 


17 


2 


33.6 


101 


3 


34.7 


99 


4 


38.3 


50 


5 


39.8 


50 


8 


45.9 


13 


10 


54.3 


7 



From Table XXX it appears that about the same number of peaches 
can be handled daily by one man packing into baskets as can be 
picked from the tree. In general, the smaller the basket, the less 
the quantity that can be packed in a day. The J-bushel basket is 
most commonly used. Mechanical graders for sorting peaches were 
almost unknown in this area at the time these data were collected. 
The work covered by the tables, therefore, refers to methods which 
are entirely manual. 

Table XXX. — A fair day's work for one man in packing peaches in baskets. 



Size of 

basket 

(bushels). 


Number of 
baskets 
daily. 


Average 
bushels 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


1 


88.2 
97.7 
79.5 
57.6 


22.1 
32.6 
39.7 
57.6 


17 

266 

44 

15 



Table XXXI gives the daily duty of one man in picking apples. 
The larger the yield, the greater the quantity that can be picked in 
a day. Apples can be picked somewhat more rapidly than peaches. 
In good years pickers prefer to be paid by the bushel or barrel and 
work more rapidly than when paid by the day. Under average con- 
ditions in this territory the yield of apples is from 4 to 6 bushels per 
tree, and the average picker gathers from 20 to 25 barrels daily. 



16 



BULLETIN 412, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table XXXI. — A fair day's work for a man in picking apples. 



Yield 

per tree 
(bushels). 


Bushels 
per day. 


Number 

averaged. 


Yield 

per tree 
(bushels). 


Bushels 
per day. _ 


Number 
averaged. 


6 
10 
15 


53.2 
54.5 
63.5 


11 
88 
199 


20 
25 
30 


66.9 

75.8 
78.6 


207 
81 
150 



Mechanical devices for sorting and packing apples are seldom 
used in western New York. A simple barrel header operated by one 
man as the barrels are filled constitutes the chief mechanical aid in 
packing apples in this region. The same general practice prevails 
over the entire region, the work being done by hand. 

Where apples are sorted by hand and packed in barrels, the daily 
amounts set out in Table XXXII should normally be accomplished. 



Table XXXII.- 



-A fair day's work in sorting and packing apples ivith the number of 
hands indicated. 



Crew. 


Barrels 

daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


Crew. 


Barrels 
daily. 


Number 
averaged. 


Sorters. 


Packers. 


Sorters. 


Packers. 


1 
1 
2 
2 


1 

2 
1 
2 


56.7 
65.4 
77.4 
88.7 


209 

11 

228 

118 


3 
3 
4 


1 
2 
2 


■ 98.4 
115.0 
124.9 


27 

37 

9 



Not many of the commercial orchards in New York are over 6 
miles from market. The number of trips that can be made daily 
•with loads of fruit for distances from 1 to 8 miles is shown in Table 
XXXIII. The usual load is 20 to 22 barrels of apples and 55 to 60 
bushels of peaches. 

Table XXXIII. — A fair day's work for man and team in hauling fruit to market. 



Miles to 


Loads 


Number 


Miles to 


Loads 


Number 


market. 


per day. 


averaged. 


market. 


per day. 


averaged. 


1 


6.3 


58 


4 


3.0 


150 


H 


5.6 


53 


5 


2.3 


128 


2 


4.8 


173 


6 


2.1 


77 


2J 


4.1 


79 


7 


1.9 


29 


3 


3.7 


210 


8 


1.9 


17 


3i 


3.4 


38 









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